Rat Kibble vs. Lab Blocks for Pet Rats
A Look at Rat Foods, a Rat's Nutritional Needs & Tips for Rat Care
Sep 22, 2008
Proper feeding is a vital element of rat health. What a pet rat eats will largely determine the rat’s health. A poor rat diet will lead to a weakened immune system, nutritional deficiencies and weight loss, which makes the pet rat more prone to illness and early death.
In nature, rats are omnivorous scavengers, meaning they eat a variety of meats, vegetables, fruits and grains that are collected and scavenged. Wild rats even hunt down insects, and small animals like frogs, fish and even small rodents. That said, a rat’s body requires a variety of foods to remain healthy.
A rat’s diet should include a quality rat food, served in addition to fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and dairy products like cheese and yogurt. Store bought rat food should never be served alone; these fresh foods are vital for a long, healthy rat life.
The staple of a rat’s diet should be a high quality rat food. There are two basic types of store-bought rat food: rat kibble and rat blocks.
Rat Blocks or “Lab Blocks”
Rat blocks are just that – small blocks of a processed kibble-style food that’s engineered to be nutritionally balanced.
In theory, high-quality rat blocks, like Harlan Teklab Blocks, contain all the necessary nutrients that a rat’s body requires. But unfortunately, most rats don’t prefer rat blocks and many will only eat rat blocks as a last resort, if there is no other food available.
Rat blocks are most commonly fed to rats who are kept as “lab rats” in scientific laboratories, and therefore this type of rat food is commonly referred to as “lab blocks.”
Rat Kibble and Rat Mixes
Rat kibble is the other store bought option for pet rats. This rat food is comprised of various nuts, seeds, dried fruit and traditional kibble-style bits.
Notably, rat kibble should never be served alone, as this will lead to nutritional deficiencies and ultimately, illness and poor rat health. Why? Most rats will not eat all the components of a rat kibble – they pick out the bits that they like and leave the others, leading to vitamin and nutritional deficiencies.
Supreme’s Reggie Rat Food and Vita Rat and Mouse Food are two examples of a quality rat kibble. These high quality rat foods are usually available at larger pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart, or online at pet supply websites.
Purchasing Rat Food
Unfortunately, quality rat kibble and rat blocks are not widely available in many areas. Large department stores like Target or Wal-Mart rarely ever carry rat or mouse food of any kind. And a quality hamster food can suffice in a pinch, but hamster food should never be fed long term due to the high fat content and other nutritional differences – a rat’s nutritional needs are very different from a hamster’s.
Some smaller pet stores tend to offer at least one type of rat food, but this food is not always of good quality. Larger pet supply stores like Petco and PetSmart tend to offer the best selection of rat foods – usually, one or two types of rat nutrition blocks are available, along with two or three brands of rat kibble.
By far, the best selection of rat blocks, rat kibble and other commercial rat foods is available via the internet. When purchasing a pet rat’s food online, it’s most economical to purchase several bags of food at once, as this saves on shipping costs. To avoid running out of rat food, it’s best to order more when the last bag is opened. This will allow sufficient time for delivery and ordering in advance is less expensive, as rat owners can select the less expensive but slower shipping option.
Related Reading
Rat owners and enthusiasts may also enjoy Fruits, Veggies, Meats & Other Good Foods for Rats and Hand Feeding a Sick Rat.
Additional pet rat care articles can be found on our Rat Care Resource Page.
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